If you’re looking for fun fall or halloween activities, check out a haunted house. Haunted houses are a great source of entertainment that’s an alternative to a less-spooky fall event at a pumpkin patch or at-home movie party. If you like something spooky, a rush of adrenaline, or something new to do with friends and family, consider checking out a haunted house near Oswego.
OHS senior Danielle Ditella stated, “It’s a good activity to do in the fall with your friends. I was scared going into it and honestly didn’t really want to go, after going I realized it wasn’t that bad and it was so much fun.”
Similarly, OHS senior Audrey LaFountain shared, “I’m a big scaredy cat but overall it was a great experience to have with friends. It really got me and I was really scared!”
Even if you feel a little standoffish to the idea of paying people to scare you, it is a highly-rated experience according to Oswego High School students who felt the same way but overcame the fear and enjoyed the scare.
Massacre
Massacre in Montgomery has been listed as Chicagolands #1 haunted house. They are known for the biggest and scariest haunted house with “over 35,000 square feet of fear” according to their website. The location of the attraction is in downtown Montgomery, about 10 minutes from Oswego. They are an indoor attraction with tickets starting at $24.99 per person and cheaper rates for groups. They are open from now until November 4th with varying days and times open. There is also some more details on Massacre’s wait time and long lines in an opinion piece Massacre Haunted House: Is it worth the wait?
HellsGate
HellsGate was listed as Illinois #1 haunted house in 2022 by The Scare Factor, an online review of scary or haunted houses. Along with ratings, HellsGate was listed as #3 in the nation in 2022 by Haunt World, also an online review of spooky places. HellsGate is located in the Lockport area, around 40 minutes from Oswego. HellsGate has a mixed indoor and outdoor attraction. If you plan on checking it out, make sure to read their details on where to park and the things that entail getting to the attraction. Their tickets start at $37 and up to $200+ per person. The $200 tickets include “One Instant Entry ticket, one HellsGate t-shirt, a backstage tour of HellsGate and a photo of you with your favorite character”. They are open now until November 4th with varying days and times open.
Basement of the Dead
Basement of the Dead offers some different things that other attractions don’t. They offer Nights of Isolation and Blackout Nights with very limited tickets. They also offer special price days to get reduced price tickets. If you’re looking to save on these deals the offers are $19.99 Monday and Wednesday on October 9th, 11th, 18th, 25th, and 30th. They are located in Aurora near the Fox River and about 15 minutes from Oswego. This attraction is a two-part indoor attraction with usually a lengthy line outside. Their ticket prices start at $19.99 on special price days and $35 on other days. Their regular haunted house is open now until October 31st, Nights of Isolation is open October 11th, 18th, and 25th, Blackout night is open November 3rd and 4th.
Senior Logan Krisch shared one of the things he like about Basement of the Dead that differed from other haunted houses he has been to, “It was cool because there was a DJ when we were waiting in line”
The Old Joliet Haunted Prison
The Old Joliet Haunted Prison is “Chicago’s only haunted house inside a real prison” according to their website. They are located at the real Old Joliet Prison that was used from 1858-2002. They have three big attractions this year: Cellblock 13, Slaughterhouse the Rot Shop, and Zombie Laser Tag. Along with the haunted house, the Old Joliet Haunted Prison offers mini escape rooms that are interactive and last about five minutes.
OHS senior Ashley Jezweski said, “the scarers wouldn’t leave me alone in the line and when we got in the haunted house they were literally coming out of nowhere it was so scary and seemed haunted!”
The Old Joliet Haunted Prison is located along the Des Plaines River and about 40 minutes from Oswego. Ticket Prices vary, but prices start at $19.99 per person. They are open now until November 4th with varying days and hours.
13th Floor Haunted House
13th Floor has been open for 10 years and is located in Chicago. USA Today stated they are “Top 5 most terrifying haunted houses in the U.S.A.” They have two big attractions for 2023:The Deadlands and The Depths of Darkness. The 13th Floor has outstanding customer reviews with over 700 five-star ratings. They are located right outside of O’Hare Airport, and right next to Chicago Premium Outlets and Rosemont Theatre, about 1 hour from Oswego. The attractions are indoor, but the lines are outdoors. They ask that you park in the designated place which is listed on the website. Their ticket prices vary per night but start at $19.99 per person. They are now open till November 5th on select nights and hours.
Disturbia Haunted House
Disturbia has two locations, one in Chicago and one in Downers Grove. They have also stated on their website if there is any rain “we’ve got you 100% covered under TENTS!” They offer special priced tickets on October 11th, 16th, 18th, 25th, and 30th. Along with their haunted house they have Isolation Nights and Blackout Nights. Isolation Nights are on October 11th, 18th, and 25th. Blackout Nights are on November 3rd and 4th. The Downers Grove location is located down the street from Yorktown Mall, and about 40 minutes from Oswego. Ticket prices vary per night but start as low as $19.99 per person. They are open varying nights and hours from now until November 4th.
Evil Intentions Haunted House
Evil Intentions is a 4.4 star rated haunted house that also offers ghost tours. They are located in Elgin, about seven minutes from Elgin Community College. From Oswego the house is about 50 minutes. The house is located in the abandoned Elgin Casket Factory, where people have “been witness[es] to murder, [made] grisly discoveries, [reported] cult activities, and unexplained occurrences” according to the Evil Intentions website. They are open from now until October 31st, Hours on Fridays and Saturdays are 7pm-12am, other varying days are open 7pm-10pm. Tickets start at $35 and go up to $75 per person.
Midnight Terror Haunted House
Midnight Terror has been featured on NBC News, Fox News, and USA Today for features on how great their work is. They are located in Oak Lawn and are located about seven minutes from Trinity Christian College and also about seven minutes from the Chicago Ridge Train station. This is their ninth year open and are proud to still be offering a “terrifying show” and are Veteran owned according to their website. On top of the haunted house, Midnight Terror Haunted House offers Clown Takeover Nights. These take place on November 3rd and 4th from 7pm-10pm. Their haunted house is open now until October 31st on varying nights and hours. Ticket prices are as low as $30 and up to $65 per person, and with a purchase of a haunted house ticket you can add on a Clown Takeover ticket for November 3rd or 4th for $10.
Realm of Terror Haunted House
Realm of Terror has been featured in The Huffington Post, WGN Radio, Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald, and WGN News. They are located in Lake Beach and is around five minutes away from the Round Lake Beach Train station. After the haunted house check out the Bowling, Mini golf, and Arcade games at Kristof’s Entertainment Center which the website stated was “just steps away.” General admission tickets start as low as $19.99 and vary going up for faster line and VIP tickets. If you buy your ticket at the door, it is an additional $5 added on to the online ticket price for that day. They are open from now until October 29th on varying nights and hours.
Six Flags Fright Fest
Another alternative to haunted houses is Fright Fest. Fright Fest is a good option for people that want the scary aspect but not the dedication of walking through a haunted house. Instead you can get the scare fix in and ride the roller coasters with friends and family.
Senior Rachel Udit commented, “My favorite part was walking and a scary person coming up behind me and jumping out and trying to scare me, it added a twist to the Six flags experience.”
Besides Fright fest, Six Flags has two other events happening right now at the park. They have Oktoberfest which is a food and drink festival, as well as they have Kids’ Boo Fest which is a kid-friendly fright fest that is only happening during the day. Fright fest is open now and closes October 31st. You can get in if you have a season pass for the current year or you can purchase a day pass at the starting price of $49 per person.
Hi, I am Mary! This is my 2nd year on 42fifty and 2nd year as Social Media Editor, I am a Senior at OHS, and I am involved with Travel Softball and Softball at the High School. I am also involved with the French Honor Society Quill and Scroll Honor Society.
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